Melissa Etheridge's influence is ever-apparent during the first season of The Voice. Out finalist Beverly McClellan shone brightest, delivering bluesy rock on the talent-driven competition and drawing comparisons to the iconic breast-cancer survivor. Etheridge, whose latest CD, Fearless Love, came out last year, will be at The Venue, 777 Casino Center Drive, Hammond, Ind., on Friday, July 15. For more information and the scoop on shuttles, please visit www.horseshoehammond.com . (Also, see the interview in this issue.)
Scheduled to take to the stage at The Venue on Saturday, July 16, is the legendary Patti LaBelle. The Philadelphia-born diva has made other people's material her own, as is the case with "Somewhere over the Rainbow," but she certainly has her own originals, like "New Attitude" and "If Only You Knew." The late Sylvester redid one of her staples, "You Are My Friend," for his live recording, Living Proof. In the 2010 episode of Unsung on TVOne dedicated to Sylvester, Jeanie Tracey recounts how she brought LaBelle to visit the "Disco Heat" singer as his health was failing in 1988.
Beyoncé follows up the madly successful I Am… Sasha Fierce with 4. The opener, "1 + 1," is a promising, big love song with a guitar solo. The Babyface co-produced "Best Thing I Never Had" delivers a kiss-off, not unlike "Irreplaceable" from 2006's B'day. The limp "Run the World (Girls)" is sung over Major Lazer's "Pon de Floor." At best, it is a watered-down love child of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and "Crazy in Love." Maybe seeing Beyoncé's energetic live show, as she stomps in high heels just like Tina Turner has been for 40 years, will help the digestion of 4.
Expect Beyoncé to return to the silver screen with Clint Eastwood's remake of A Star Is Born.
Members of the artistic collective Hercules and the Love Affair branch out to form the trio Jessica 6. The Brooklyn act sizzles on the scorcher "White Horse," as lead singer Nomi Ruiz coos "Let me see you dance." The retro-sounding "Jessica Jessica" interlude gives an early '90s soul vibe and bleeds nicely into "Freak the Night," which loosely recalls Janet Jackson's "Go Deep." The 2009 single "Fun Girl," which is included on See the Light, has a lovely accessible disco groove. The full-length debut slows down during the intimate "Not Anymore" and "Blessed Mother." Jessica 6 returns to Chicago with a date at The Mid, 306 N. Halsted, on Friday, July 15, as an after-party for Pitchfork Festival.
Fresh from winning the recognition Brink of Fame: Music Artist at Logo's NewNowNext Awards, Oh Land is coming back to Chicago to open for Sia at The Metro, 3730 N. Clark, on Friday, July 22. The beautiful Scandinavian chanteuse released her eponymous album earlier this year. It features the catchy "Son of a Gun" and the more experimental goodie "Wolf & I." The perky numbers "We Turn It Up" and "White Nights" have been licensed to Hondo Civic and Hershey's Chocolate commercials, respectively. Oh Land also is slated to appear at selected dates on Katy Perry's tour. Despite rumors, the Danish songbird will not be at Lollapalooza.
Marissa Nadler wows listeners with her self-titled outing. Her fifth album opens with "In Your Lair, Bear," which shows off her angelic voice over a folk-focused, dreamy orchestration. "Baby I Will Leave You in the Morning" is the set's standout with its dark, tempting mood. Clouds part to expose the heavens as Nadler sings, "You look like someone that I used to know" on the gorgeous "In a Magazine."
On Nadler's superb effort, there is a lo-fi mix worthy of some of my favorite independent artists like Amy Cook and Mono in VCF or crossover acts such as Poe and Mazzy Star. On Thursday, July 21, Nadler will have a concert at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport with Timber Timbre and Faces on Film on the bill.
An A-list group of female singer-songwriters unites for the compilation A Day Most Swell to raise funds for Susan Frazier's medical bills owing to her battle against Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Based in Michigan, Frazier is a cornerstone in the women's music community. Containing two albums worth of material, A Day Most Swell boasts 25 tracks, including "A Fix of You" by BETTY, "As Cool As I Am" by Dar Williams, "Joy" by Janis Ian and "Sunspot" by Nervous But Excited. This collection is available via www.goldenrod.com and www.bandcamp.com . The artists donated their songs to A Day Most Swell to benefit Frazier's cause.
Tom Petty's "American Girl" played as Michele Bachmann announced her candidacy for president in Waterloo, Iowa. That very day, Petty's management issued a cease-and-desist order for Bachmann not to use Petty's material. Also, the right-wing candidate must not have been "Walking on Sunshine" when Katrina and the Waves forbade her from blaring the band's signature.
Previously, Petty did not approve of "I Won't Back Down" being in George W. Bush's campaign; Bush complied. Artists are being more vocal about their brand being used in political settings. Bon Jovi, Boston, Jackson Browne, David Byrne, Foo Fighters, Heart, Don Henley, John Mellencamp, Survivor and Van Halen have stepped forth with their frustrations over their songs being tied to the Republican Party's campaign trail without their permission.